Westmoreland County humane agents spent one of the coldest days of the year investigating dozens of tip calls about pets left outside in the cold. The problem is, if certain conditions are met, it is not illegal to leave your pet outside on a cold day.

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"Pennsylvania law does not require you to bring your pets in. Only your state Legislature can change those laws," said humane agent Cyndi Price. "A lot of people don't understand what it means to have a dog out with no shelter."

Price said she can only cite a pet owner if the animal has no water, no food and no shelter, or a facility to crawl inside to escape the elements.

She said a lot of tipsters call the Humane Society to report that a pet owner is in violation just because the animal is in the cold.

Price urges Pennsylvanians to call their local legislator to push for the anti-tethering bill to be made into law. The bill would govern the length and type of chains acceptable for leaving pets outside. It would also make it illegal to leave animals outside in extreme weather situations.

"I recommend usually, on days like this, you don't leave them out longer than 20 to 30 minutes," Price said. "If it's too cold for you, it's too cold for them."